So you’re thinking of signing up for Tough Mudder?

As an Events Fundraiser, personal trainer and overly-enthusiastic fitness addict, the idea of taking on the infamous Tough Mudder for Meningitis Now fills me with excitement rather than dread

Who wouldn’t want to revert to their inner child and get as mucky as humanly possible, while raising invaluable funds to help save and change lives?

On Saturday 19 August 2017, I will be lining up alongside my heroic colleagues Hannah, Leah and Kyra (plus a few friends) in the South West starting pen, shouting our loudest “HOO-RAH”s and eager to put all of our hard training into practice.

At the time of writing this, I have run my fair share of half marathons, 10ks and parkruns, but have only recently got involved with the obstacle course racing (or OCR) scene. However, the insight that the latter has given me – along with my own technical knowledge and advice from seasoned OCR and mud-run pros – has given me plenty to share with you over the next few months.

How on earth do I train?

At 10-12 miles long, Tough Mudder combines long-distance running with a fair helping of strength, both physical and mental. There is a three-month Tough Mudder training plan available on the official website, but if you’re starting from scratch it looks quite insurmountable – 3 x 10 pull-ups on Day One, anyone?

The key here is going to be to start as early as you can and combine a variety of running techniques with strengthening, toning and conditioning. Upper body strength will be vital for many of the obstacles, but lower body and core will help with your overall experience too.

I’m currently working on a training plan for my lovely colleagues and will share this in a later blog, but if you’re not already running, download the Couch to 5k app or podcasts to your phone today and get out there!

It looks so hard / scary / cold / muddy!

The over-arching ethos of Tough Mudder is teamwork, and while I am an advocate of throwing yourself into anything that scares you (quite literally, in some cases – Arctic Enema, I’m looking at you…), no-one will think any less of you if you simply walk around an obstacle that makes you feel unsafe.

Mud washes off, wet clothes dry and you might find that you can achieve more than you ever thought you could. The encouragement of others is so incredibly important; why not sign up for Tough Mudder with your friends for support and cheer each other on?

Teamwork makes the dream work

They say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, so if you’re umming and ahhing over whether to join us for any of our Tough Mudder events around the UK, just go for it! Have a look here for a list of the locations and dates and get in touch with Kirsty Owen-Hayward today. Can I get a “HOO-RAH”?